2018 Cold Storage Industry Survey Results

Maintaining samples at an optimal temperature while in storage is vital for many lab professionals and this makes choosing the right freezer or refrigerator a crucial task. While the average kitchen freezer operates at about -20°C, laboratory variants have a much wider range of options depending on the storage conditions needed.

Top 5 Questions You Should Ask When Buying Cold Storage Equipment

How is the product manufactured? Ask about the quality of the materials used and the product life.

What is the warranty? What does it include and for how long? Will anything void the warranty?

How green is the product? Ask the company to provide details on energy efficiency and have them relate it to your return on investment (e.g. in four years will you save enough money in energy costs to pay for your freezer/fridge?).

How much sample capacity are you getting for your space?

What are the optimal voltage/wiring conditions for running the fridge/freezer? If the building is older, will low voltage or voltage fluctuations affect the performance of the freezer/fridge?

Types of cold storage equipment used by survey respondents:

Upright general-purpose lab freezers

76%

Low temperature upright lab freezers

46%

Upright ultra-low temperature freezers

43%

Under-counter general purpose lab freezers

27%

Low temperature chest lab freezers

26%

Chest ultra-low temperature freezers

19%

Flammable materials storage

17%

Explosion-proof

14%

Blood bank and plasma

7%

Other

19%

Service and repair methods for cold storage equipment as reported by survey respondents:

In-house service department

40%

Third-party contract

26%

Instrument manufacturer time/material

14%

Third-party time/material

13%

Instrument manufacturer service contract

11%

Multi-vendor service provider

11%

Our department

11%

Don't know

4%

Other

3%

Nearly 65% of respondents are engaged in purchasing new cold storage equipment. The reasons for these purchases are as follows: